How the Socialists Saved Milwaukee

For a period of fifty years, Milwaukee was America’s capital of Socialism. Between 1910 and 1960, the city had three Socialist mayors—Emil Seidel, Dan Hoan, and Frank Zeidler—who were widely criticized for their supposed radicalism and just as widely praised for their actual accomplishments. At a time when Socialism has become the “s” word in American politics, it’s important to look back at how it was actually practiced in a Midwest metropolis.